Noma (disease)

Noma also known as cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis, is a gangrenousdiseaseleading to tissuedestruction of the face, especially the mouthand cheek. The mucous membranesof the mouth develop ulcers, and rapid, painless tissue degeneration ensues, which can degrade tissues of the bones in the face [1]. The disease degrades the faces of children within days.

In a condition sometimes called noma pudendi, noma can also affect the genitals and cause tissue damage there.

The disease is due to malnutritionand a weak immune system, and many children who develop the disease had another illness like measlesor tuburculosisshortly prior. Though the exact cause is not known, poor sanitationis a risk factor for the disease, and its cause may be bacterial. The disease is rarely treated since in some culturesit as a taboo.

The disease is associated with high morbidityand mortalityand mainly affects children under the age of 12 in the poorest countries of Africa. Children in Asiaand South Americaare also affected. Most children who get the disease are between two and six years old [2].

Despite the fact that more than 400,000 children are affected in Africa alone, there is only one Noma hospital in all of Africa. The hospital is placed in Nigeriaand aside from the regular doctors, European and American doctors travel there to save lives. However, without plastic surgery, most of these children will not have a normal life.

External links

• All Refer Health article on Noma
• The European Noma Network

fr:Noma

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noma+%28disease%29 Wikipedia article Noma (disease).